This invention relates to a prosthetic ankle joint, and more particularly to a prosthetic joint for replacement of the ankle joint. The prosthetic joint is adapted to be implanted in the body of human beings.
Heretofore, prosthetic joints have been used to replace defective natural joints in humans when such joints have become diseased such as the result of arthritis or injured through accident. However, prior art prosthetic members have not been wholly satisfactory for ankle implantation. They have suffered from various deficiencies including being difficult to implant and not having sufficient range of motion, some have the problem of tending to dislocate easily resulting in extreme pain to the individual and in some case requiring a surgical procedure to bring the components of the prosthesis into proper alignment. Other prostheses have produced painful irritation to the surfaces of the ankle and have produced an unstable prosthetic joint.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved joint prosthesis for total ankle replacement which provides articulation similar to that of the natural joint and one that overcomes the deficiencies described above.